Jamie Oliver's Great Britain is a neat cookbook. Laid out like Jamie's America, it's a 400-page hardcover packed with color photos of people, places, and mouthwatering food, along with commentary and interesting tidbits. I've already spent a couple of hours just leisurely reading through it.

The chapters range from Breakfast, Pub Grub, and New British Classics to Afternoon Tea, Pies and Puddings, and Sunday Lunch. There's a section on wild food that has me thinking about cooking rabbit—either the Honey-Roasted Lemon Rabbit or the 12 Hour (!) Rabbit Bolognese—for the first time ever (my mother won't believe I just said that). The short Condiments chapter at the end tells you how to make things like Curried Mayonnaise, A Quick English Mustard in Seconds, eight kinds of flavored vinegar, and The Best Piccalilli.

The recipes have been translated for the American version of the book, so here and there you'll find the odd sized pan (8"x12") or measurement (7-5/8 ounces of cheese or 1/3-inch diced vegetables), and of course some of the British ingredients may be hard to find, like Lincolnshire cheese, golden syrup, British "banger" style sausages, and scrumpy ("strong, traditionally made cider").I had to ask an English pal what a rasher or bacon is (a slice) and what a knob of butter is. I loved her response: "A knob of butter is very subjective and depends on the size of your knife." How perfectly British.

When I was twelve, my family moved to London for seven months. I haven't been back to England since, but now I'm daydreaming of an eating tour through Great Britain. Until then, it's nice to know I can turn to Jamie's new book and cook all of this glorious food myself.

Would you like to win a copy of Jamie Oliver's Great Britain? To enter, just leave a comment below and share something—anything!—about British food or Jamie Oliver. The contest is over. Thanks for all your fun entries and congratulations to the winner, Mary in Canada!

As a certified sconehead, naturally I went straight for the Crumbliest Scones recipe first. They were surprisingly disappointing, but these Cornish pasties more than made up for it. I used to sell similar pasties at my little bakery cafe in California, but I haven't made them in years. In the introduction to his recipe Jamie says:

"These traditional English pasties are guaranteed to put a smile on your face. They're delicious, homely, and light years away from mass-produced ones. The recipe isn't difficult at all, but please make sure you use skirt steak and chop up the meat and veg exactly how I've said, because that is going to create the perfect equation for what happens inside the pastry case and ensure that all the filling ingredients cook at the same time. One of these with salad, mustard and beer is pure happiness."

That's exactly how my hunky farmguy (and picky eater) Joe enjoyed his first one (I had wine instead of homebrewed beer), and he loved it. The next day I gently reheated a couple of them in the microwave for lunch because we were too hungry to wait for the oven, and they came out great. They also freeze beautifully.

While Jamie calls these traditional English pasties, he goes beyond the classic ingredients when filling them. His early autumn version includes zucchini and butternut squash, but I opted for a simple filling of just beef, onion, potatoes, and carrots.He says, "Feel free to swap out some of [the] veg to reflect the season you are in, using peas, fava beans or asparagus in spring and other root veg in the winter." Rutabagas are traditional but definitely not required (and nearly impossible to find in rural Missouri).

I used chuck steak from one of our grass-fed steers instead of skirt steak, and it worked perfectly. I also mixed up my pastry crust in the food processor rather than by hand, and I used half organic butter and half lard that I rendered down from one of the locally raised hogs we recently had processed. Yum. Using all butter and mixing the dough by hand will work too. Either way, don't overwork the dough.

You want all the filling ingredients chopped up the same size. Grab a ruler and do a little test measure when you start chopping; 1/3-inch is small.

As always, I urge you to seek out local and organic ingredients; they really do make a difference. Organic carrots are one of the best buys around, and you don't have to peel them. Search for local meat, vegetables, and more at LocalHarvest.org.A digital kitchen scale is so handy for weighing everything from ingredients to Farmhouse White bread dough to outgoing packages; I love this Oxo 11-pound scale and often pull it out several times a day.

Make the pastry before you chop up the filling ingredients. Place the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the 'S' blade and briefly pulse them together. Add the butter (or butter and lard) and pulse at 1-second intervals until the largest pieces of butter are the size of chickpeas.

Remove the lid, pour 1/2 cup of the ice water evenly over the flour mixture, replace the lid, and pulse a few times. Add just enough more ice water so that the dough holds together when you press it between your fingers. Do not overmix.

Pour the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap (I love this brand), gently pat it together using the edges of the plastic wrap to help you, then flatten it into a large flat disc or rectangle (I find it easier to divide it into six equal pieces if it's a rectangle). Wrap it tightly in the plastic and refrigerate it while you make the filling. (You can make the dough several hours ahead of time, or the day before, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to use.)

Heat the oven to 400°F. Combine the chopped beef, onion, potatoes, and carrots in a large bowl. Add the salt, pepper, olive oil, thyme, and rosemary and mix well. Set aside.

Cut the pastry into 6 equal pieces and shape each one into a flat disc. On a lightly floured surface, gently roll each piece of pastry into a 9-inch round. If the dough starts to stick to the work surface or your rolling pin, sprinkle it with a small amount of flour.

Place about 1 cup of filling on each round, either in the middle if you want to bring both sides of the pastry up and together, or on one side so you can pull the other side of the pastry over to make a semi-circle (see photo above; both are traditional Cornish pasty shapes).

Use your hand to compact the filling a little, then brush the edges of the pastry with the egg wash (I use a silicone brush), and seal them together. If you're making semi-circles, you can decoratively crimp the edge of the pasties with a fork or your fingers.

Place the pasties on a heavy duty baking sheet (I've been using some of my commercial baker's half sheet pans for over 20 years) lined with unbleached parchment paper(I could only fit four pasties per baking sheet), brush them all over with the egg wash, and bake until golden brown, about 40 to 45 minutes.I baked mine in two batches, but if you trust your oven you can try using two oven racks at once, rotating the pans halfway through baking.

Serve the pasties hot, with mustard on the side (we like them best with brown mustard). They will keep for a couple of days in the refrigerator and will also freeze well. Reheat in the oven, toaster oven (I've used my Oster toaster convection oven nearly every day for at least 6 years; it's perfect for reheating things) or microwave.

We have British friends that moved to this country some time ago. Unfortunately when we went to dinner at their house it was what we used to think of as typical British food: boiled, watery, and bland. Either British food has now evolved or they are letting their secrets out!

What a special book, from a special soul!! I grew up enjoying British food, there is nothing like a stream pudding, bubble and squeak, roast beef and yorkshire pudding. Yummy, yum yum. Thanks for the chance to enjoy more good food.jhertrick(at)nc(dot)rr(dot)com

I love cornish pasties although these are slightly different to what I grew up with. We used cooked cubed lamb from the previous night's roast. The pasties were served for lunch the next day but if we were totally lucky we got them in our school lunch ie cold finger food :)Barbowlsndoves at gmail dot com

Hi Maria,This filling is raw and cooks inside the pastry, which is why you need to chop everything up into such small pieces. Like Barb mentioned above, though, you can also make them with leftover cooked meat and/or vegetables. Cornish pasties are very adaptable! :)

I visited England a couple years ago and got to eat at a Jamie Oliver restaurant in Bath!!! We sat outside and had a great view of Bath Abbey. I also ate a few Cornish pasties, when we went to Cornwall. I'd love this book!

Mmm, I checked Jamie's Great Britain out from the library a few weeks ago and couldn't decide where to start cooking - everything looks so yummy! Thanks for the opportunity to win a copy, so I don't have to worry about getting a library book dirty!

Yum, this sounds so tasty! I used to watch him way back when on TV, but never tried any of his recipes, I might have to start with this one! BTW, I love your blog too, and I enjoy all of your pictures and stories, and I just adore Bert, Molly Doodlebug, Daisy, Martha, Midnight, Gus, Gnat, and all the other other critters.fishoutofwater at gmail dot com

Ohhh I would LOVE to win! I enjoy Jamie Oliver's ideas and would love to try this out! My mum had a pen pal from England that came over to the US to visit us several times. I remember one time she made dinner for us and served Yorkshire Pudding. I was so confused cause I couldn't find the pudding (I kept looking for Jello haha!) In my defense I was about 10 at the time. :-)

I have a fascination with 1940 Britain and British pastries (not really compatible I know). I bought a reprint of war time recipes (have actually made some) and also bought book about traditional and regional cakes. (haven't dived into that one yet)

My dad was an Iron Ore Minor back in the day and these pasties were a staple food then. Never put anything but potatoes, onions and hamburger in them, probably because of cost. And they were served with catsup. I'm 78 now so you know how long ago it was and we lived in upper Wisc.

This is so perfect!! Each year we do a theme for Christmas. This year it is tourists, and food from London. We are each going to use a Jamie Olive recipe! WOW. How did you know? We used to have a pasty here in town but it closed up shop. It was so good. Thanks for this recipe.Cind teachjack_20(at)yahoo(dot)com

Jamie Oliver is a favorite of mine, because he cooks real food and because he shares that with real people. His work to bring real food to schools has him my admiration. I grew up on bubble and squeek and yorkshire pud. so I would love to try some of his other recipes. From rob_val@hotmail.com

Looks wonderful! I went to England several years ago with my Grandma and cousin and we were all disappointed with the food....except breakfast. The pastries and breads were amazing!Ehlena99 (at) Yahoo (dot) com

We took our young children to London several years ago. Our son had food allergies and our daughter was quite a picky eater so our adventures in food mainly consisted of trips to the grocery for basics that we cooked in our apartment. Our two great joys were church basements--which interestingly enough housed some wonderful food. I particularly remember a small basement cafe with awesome Indian food. On a more traditional note we came home tea lovers!

I lived in Great Britain for 5 years while we were in the air force. We used to get cheese and onion pasties. I love all the different ones but those were my favorite. Thanks for the recipe and the chance to win

Being part of the English colony i.e. Canada, I grew up loving some of the classic foods especially Christmas cake or the dreaded fruit cake. All my cousins had their wedding cakes made from fruit cake and I still make it at Christmas time but of course, bumped up a notch by soaking them in rum or brandy with almond paste on top. Got to put my cakes together now!

Love Jamie and his cooking shows! I also really, really enjoyed the series he did on American school lunch programs. These pasties look really good, I can see where they would make a nice lunch. Thanks for the review and the giveaway! :)calicocandy1958 at gmail dot comP.S. I also love the way he says oregano!!

I love British food. I grew up in Northern California, but there was an authentic British tea room out on the coast and my mom and I went there two to three times a month. The owner, a Brit, got the point where she'd see us walk and in and cheerily call out our order: "The usual, love, sandwiches and scones with Lemon Lift tea?" I would love a comprehensive UK cookbook written by someone as accessible as Jamie!

These pasties you made look much better than the one I had recently in Pescadero at some British Pub. Definitely going to think about making these one day (strike thru) year.... in all my free time. LOL. But you always make it sound so easy! <3

I've watched Jamie Oliver on his tv cooking show - he's delightful and so enthusiastic about food and cooking that you're inspired to try his recipes. It would be a treat to win a copy of this book of comfort food recipes.emmdickson AT gmail DOT com

Oh my, this looks just like the Pasties I grew up with on the Iron Range! I'm so homesick now. I might just have to make some :) My memories of cooking in Great Britain are mixed--the apple pies had no spice! but the shortbread and Scottish porridge were to die for. And the tea. Brits know how to make tea!

I have a size-able collection of scone recipes, so I guess I am a sconehead too. The best way to eat them is with my fav Brit cooking expression " lashings of cream!" Lashings of butter works too and sounds much better described that way, don't you think? Yep, an anglophile from way back.

I love Jamie Oliver!!!! I live in NL so a lot of our traditional cooking is based on the foods of the British Isles. My favourite would have to be bubble and squeak, pease pudding and yorkshire puddings!

I lived in England for a few years. To this day at 4PM (tea time)I have this urge to sit down and have a cup of tea and some biscuits (we call them cookies) or scones!Also have a few favorite Jamie recipes....hmmm might need to go make some. Cheers!JeffJCOA at aol DOT com

It's been awhile since I've watched Jamie on TV, but I do remember his Naked Chef shows. He's so fun to watch. Probably my favorite British food is Bangers & Mash. I also like mushy peas. And good strong English tea. And scones, of course. jennifer AT nobletouch DOT com

Pasties are traditional in Michigan (Upper Peninsula) from mining days. Love to get some whenever we get to the UP. Never tried to make them myself, though; I just might have to now with this great-looking recipe.quiltlady59 at fuse dot net

Has anyone been following Jamie's 15 Minute Meals series? Brilliant! Although his recipes have pretty much ruined most restaurants for me, I still greatly appreciate his culinary skills. Thanks for sharing this!rubyslypprz at netscape dot net

I love good old-fashioned food, and other than the butter/lard in the crust, this doesn't sound like a really unhealthy recipe. Loved watching Jamie on his US TV show about making school lunches healthier. I've had pasties before and loved them, so I might give this recipe a try this weekend.

Don't enter me because I reviewed it too. And, the Cornish Pasty recipe was the same one I fixed. My husband is British and he loved it. I've done it several times and the last time I used leftover roast beef and leftover roasted veggies. To. Die. For. I have learned to cook a lot of my husband's favorites over the years, but I still marked a ton of recipes to try. The commentary was just as great as the recipes!2 Kids and Tired Books

I grew up reading British literature, which always seemed to include British food - for years I never knew what half the things I was reading about were, but I always wanted to try them. Thank heavens for Jamie Oliver, I've loved watching him cook and one of my favorite recipes to make is a Green Curry recipe he once made on Martha Stewart.

During a trip to the UK I stepped off the train from London Paddington Station to the small train station in Bath. We were met by the smell of Cornish pasties in the food area of the station. I crave these still. I'm very glad to have the recipe now as it's not a simple thing to hop on a jet from the Texas hill country to cross the Pond and satisfy a craving for pasties at will!

Thanks for sharing this! I noticed the end of the recipe said to serve the pasties hot. I was thinking they would be great for a British-themed party a friend is throwing, and wondering if you think they'd be OK at room temperature?

Had my first Cornish pasty from Philps at age 18 in Cornwall... my Cornish boyfriend introduced me to them on the cliffs of Lands End. My relationship with pasties has far outlasted that one. I've packed them in lunches, carried them to enjoy on the summit of daylong hikes, even sent on along with my husband when he was doing volunteer election work (everyone was jealous... the smell of warm pasty in winter is irresistible).

This recipe looks great but you will never see a true Cornish pasty with carrots. Promise! Swede is all you need.

I'm originally from a part of South Australia well-known for its pasties (don't live there anymore - I live in Brezel-and-Bockwurst-land now) and we got really worried a few years ago that we'd have to stop making them (or at least calling them "Cornish") because of the Geographically Protected Food nonsense - we're not in Cornwall and we take all sorts of liberties with what we put in the pasties.

Pasties are a common snack here, and you can buy them in any bakery alongside steak pie and sausage roll, although they're not always the nice, hard, glossy pasties with thick ridges you can expect on the Copper Coast. I've eaten them all my life but managed to go to Cornwall once for a couple of days without actually eating a pasty! I'm glad you liked the recipe but - you'll never go back to pies now, right?

Hi Farmgirl Susan,It's a very rainy day here in New England (Vermont) and just made these with venison. Also subbed the carrots with parsnips. Froze 4, and baked two. Nice recipe, very similar to the one my late British mother-in-law baked (with beef, not venison!). Cheers,Debra

December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

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